Author: Stephanie Gomez

Teenagers and a poorly-introduced Presto plan are to blame for wide spread fare evasion on the TTC, says transit workers’ union president Bob Kinnear.

Since the TTC stopped requiring children 12 and under to pay to ride the transit system in March 2015, there has been a “free-for-all” as drivers lack the ability to require children to produce identification, said Kinnear, head of Amalgamated Transit Union, Local 113.

“Children 12 and under have suddenly tripled in our ridership,” he added. “You’ve got 15-year-old kids that have moustaches and beards saying, ‘I’m 12 years old,’ knowing full well … there’s nothing you can do.”

TTC’s own website even states: “If you are between 13 and 15 years old, you do not need identification to travel.”

The Toronto District School Board (TDSB) offers select students with longer travel distances 10 free TTC tickets each week but some don’t even use them.

One 13-year-old, who didn’t want to be named, said his friends never pay to ride the TTC.

“I’ve had a couple of friends who are taller and they’ve stopped them and just said, ‘You’ve got to pay next time.’”

Kinnear, meanwhile, said he believes the Presto card transformation has been “extremely detrimental” to TTC ridership numbers, essentially offering up freebies.

He added that “90% of our system isn’t set up for Presto although we’re recognizing it on 100 per cent of the system.

“I’ve been told for the last couple of months that (TTC operators) are being advised that if anybody has a Presto card, you’re to let them go through if the station or vehicle is not equipped.”

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Every day, I spend nearly four hours on the TTC. I’m from the east end and I work in west end, and travel is about two hours one way. Being underground for such a long time complicates a lot of my everyday functioning. I can’t eat, drink, or nap on the subway without a high level of anxiety. It’s grim and gloomy down there. Sometimes, I feel like I’m being buried alive in a mobile cemetery because I’m exhausted from the confinement.

Public transit has always been a hot topic for debate among politicians, media pundits, advocates, and commuters like me. But left out of most conversations has been the impact the TTC has on the mental health of Torontonians—especially those from low-income neighbourhoods with long commutes.

Long commutes are unfortunately a commonality that many people who live in the suburbs have learned to accept and endure. A poll conducted by Forum Research in 2013 found residents of Scarborough have an average commute length of 49 minutes. By comparison, those who live in the City have an average commute of 39 minutes. Six out of 10 surveyed in this poll of more than 1,500 residents said their quality of life—that is, time spent with family, going to the gym, and relaxing—was reduced as a result of their commute.

Wendy Le, a first-year university student who lives in the western part of North York, has a commute of up to two hours as she often travels downtown and to Scarborough for school. As a result of her commute and school schedule, Wendy doesn’t participate in extracurricular activities.

“The exhaustion I feel after some morning commutes affects me because there are a lot of things to tackle during the day, and that requires energy and concentration…[with my] commute, the quality of [my school work] gets compromised,” she explains.

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Streetcars on St. Clair are being replaced by buses, and a major downtown intersection shuts down to traffic on Monday for TTC work.

Just six years after it opened, the TTC shutdown the 6.6-kilotmetre dedicated stretch of streetcar lanes starting Sunday so that changes can be made to accommodate the TTC’s new streetcars.

The new streetcars are set to roll on St. Clair in 2018, and the retrofit is required for customer safety.

During the closure, streetcars on the 512 route will be replaced by buses until Sept. 4.

The TTC released a video explaining the work being done. Watch it below or click here to view it.

The St. Clair and St Clair West stations also have to be modified.

At St. Clair station, crews will install a new roof and replace the streetcar loading platform, while at St. Clair West station the work includes construction of new elevators and replacing streetcar tracks.

Some of the work won’t be completed until the end of the year, but streetcar tracks between St. Clair West and Gunns Loop should be back in service by Labour Day.

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TORONTO, ONTARIO–(Marketwired – March 9, 2016) – The president of the union representing the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) special constables believes riders, TTC employees, and management, must work together to make Canada’s largest transit system the ‘Safer Way’ for everyone.

“Every day, our members are out there doing their utmost to ensure the safety of riders and TTC staff,” said James Bingham, president of Local 5089 of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE 5089).

“They do this job under incredibly challenging circumstances and limited resources. No one benefits from armchair quarterbacks taking pot shots in the media,” he added.

Bingham was responding to published reports regarding safety and security issues on certain TTC routes.

“The key to addressing these issues is not attacking the people who are sworn to protect TTC riders and employees. No one is served by such an approach whether we’re talking about safety and security, overcrowding, making sure the buses, streetcars and trains arrive on time, or ensuring the system meets acceptable standards of cleanliness,” said Bingham.

“Rather, we should be working together to ensure all aspects of the TTC have the resources and the support they need to improve the system and make sure everyone – riders and staff – get to their destination safely and on time,” he added.

Yesterday, Bingham spoke with TTC Chief Executive Officer Andy Byford to discuss safety and security on the system. Byford indicated his strong support for the members of Local 5089 and current model of Transit Special Constables.

TTC Special Constables are sworn Peace Officers appointed by the Toronto Police Services Board. Special Constables have been conferred with the same authority as a Police Officer to enforce various Federal and Provincial statutes where an offence occurs on any TTC vehicle or property.